Golden West Set for Men’s Volleyball Playoffs

HUNTINGTON BEACH — Golden West, defending state champion, hosts the four-team Southern California men’s community college volleyball playoffs, which start at 10 a.m. today.

Los Angeles Pierce (12-6), which finished second in the South Coast Conference, takes on San Diego Mesa (13-4), third in the Orange Empire Conference, at 10 a.m. in the single-elimination format.

At 1 p.m., Golden West (15-3), second in the Orange Empire Conference, meets El Camino (8-10), third in the South Coast Conference.

The winners meet at 7 p.m. for the final berth in the state tournament, which starts Friday at American River College in Sacramento. Orange Coast (19-1), Long Beach (15-3) and American River (13-0) already have qualified by winning conference titles.

Golden West beat San Diego Mesa twice and L.A. Pierce and El Camino once, all in three games, already this season.

Golden West won two five-game matches in last year’s regional to advance to the state tournament, where it upset top-seeded L.A. Pierce and beat Palomar for the title.